The Future of Consumerist

Over the last twelve years, Consumerist has been a steadfast proponent and voice on behalf of consumers, from exposing shady practices by secretive cable companies to pushing for action against dodgy payday lenders. Now, we’re joining forces with Consumer Reports, our parent organization, to cultivate the next generation of consumer advocacy.

Stay tuned as Consumerist’s current and future content finds its home as a part of the Consumer Reports brand. In the meantime, you can access existing Consumerist content below, and we encourage you to visit Consumer Reports to read the latest consumer news.

Owning a car in New York City is a daunting feat, mostly because parking is either nonexistent or costs an arm and a leg. Or maybe both arms and both legs and a kidney. That’s why a 93-year-old grandmother of 17 is suing her co-op , claiming it wrongfully ousted her from the spot she’s had her car parked in for over 30 years. The 1967 Cadillac Coupe convertible had been resting comfortably in its place in the garage since 1981 until the co-op revoked the woman’s parking privileges.

Getting bumped from a prime parking situation would make anyone angry, but the woman says the co-op’s reason for taking the No. 1 spot away are a bunch of hooey, reports the New York Daily News. She claims she was told the reasoning behind pushing her out of her spot was because the car hadn’t been moved in two years, and its registration and insurance were expired. She suffers from Parkinson’s disease and hasn’t been able to drive in years.

Her family says she was told to get back in line to wait for a new spot, behind several hundred others, and has been forced to park her car in a $550 per month parking lot, instead of the $100 monthly fee she paid before.

“My mom has a limited income. This is costing us a great deal,” her son told the paper. “They wanted to put her at the end of the list,” he added of the wait for another spot.

“The garage is not to be used as a storage facility for inoperable or abandoned vehicles,” the co-op’s attorney wrote. But now that the NYDN is on the case, the paper says another attorney for the co-op board claimed it wasn’t aware of her handicap when it booted her from the spot.

Oh and also? The car was used in Men In Black 3, so that should count for something, right?